Nerds
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Steve Jobs and Bill Gates are getting a Broadway musical
Yes, you read that correctly: A musical about the late Steve Jobs and Bill Gates is coming to Broadway, the famed theatre hub in New York City. The production, titled Nerds (because of course it is), will be a comedy that narrates the rivalry between the Apple and Microsoft co-founders. To make the story more interesting, and pay homage to its tech-savvy subjects, Nerds is going to feature holograms on stage and an app that lets audience members interact with the set and each other.
ICYMI: Gaming mood lighting, a shooting drone and more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-22597{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-22597, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-22597{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-22597").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: Virtual Reality by Oculus Rift is about to get way more tactile thanks to a newly acquired hand tracking tech company. Hue lights will now sync with an Xbox One game and oh man, the ambience on your next blood bath will be intense. And a YouTuber uploaded a video of a drone that fires a semiautomatic handgun, which makes crabby old men the world over pleased.
This is the Modem World: Cooking is good for nerds. Nerds are good at cooking.
Each week Joshua Fruhlinger contributes This is the Modem World, a column dedicated to exploring the culture of consumer technology. Let's over-generalize the nerd archetype for a moment: unhealthy, eats fast food, drinks sugary sodas, sits on his (or her) butt playing video games, a misanthrope with nothing better to do than troll Reddit and pirate some leet warez. Antisocial, anti-nature, probably works in IT while angrily commenting on tech blogs behind the shield of anonymity. We all know that's not accurate, but there is always truth in the construct others give us. Appease me, won't you?
This is the Modem World: Seven levels of nerd hierarchy
Each week Joshua Fruhlinger contributes This is the Modem World, a column dedicated to exploring the culture of consumer technology. I have a confession to make. I love /r/cringe, the sub-Reddit dedicated to those moments usually caught on video that make us feel better about our lots in life when we can watch a 30-second chunk of happenstance and walk away thinking, "I am at least one level of dork above that person." Back in the day you were either a nerd... or not. There were no levels of dorkiness like we have today. You were into computers and Dungeons & Dragons or you weren't: that was pretty much it. You were grouped into a subculture that enjoyed all things electronic, idolized Brian Tochi, knew who Steve Wozniak was and could explain why Weird Science was not a nerd revenge film, but actually a celebration of giving up the machine for love and conformity shrouded in a Hughesian attempt to finally give the dweebs a chance to get some. Still a cool movie, though, and a righteous theme song.
The MMO Report: Hangover edition
This week on The MMO Report, Casey stumbles in from the office Christmas party to report on Ubisoft's rumored triple-AAA Wii-U MMO, Marvel Universe Online's endless parade of character art, and the politics of Minecraft's design (psst... Minecraft -- sandbox? Yes. MMO? Not really!). He also jokes about Star Wars: The Old Republic's two million beta testers, suggesting that the number proves "nerds will flock to anything with a Star Wars or BioWare logo on the box." We're sure he speaks from personal experience. Finally, The Beard dips into Uncle Casey's Mailbag to recount some harrowing tales of MMO deflowering. Enjoy the full MMO Report past the cut!
Revell and World of Tanks form model tank alliance
Raise your hand if you're male, you're over 30, and you have fond memories of building plastic model kits as a kid. Now that we've probably eliminated half the population of this website, those of you remaining (or those of you looking for a gift for a nerdy loved one) may get a kick out of Wargaming.net's latest press release. The strategy gamemaker has partnered up with Revell, one of the oldest model manufacturers in existence, to cross-promote some of the heavy armor featured in World of Tanks. Many of the game's tanks are already featured in Revell's replica product line, and the company has been offering true-to-life scale model kits of tanks, aircraft, automobiles, ships, and many other kinds of vehicles since the early 1940s. Revell recently dipped a toe into radio-controlled modeling as well, and the company will be demoing an RC tank at the World of Tanks Gamescom booth later this month. In return, Wargaming.net will appear at Revell's booth during the Hobby Spiel exhibition in Leipzig this coming October.
Growing up Geek: Ross Rubin
Welcome to Growing Up Geek, a feature where we take a look back at our youth, and tell stories of growing up to be the nerds that we are. This week, we have our long-time Switched On columnist Ross Rubin. In the wide-collared world of the 1970s, it wasn't yet clear whether the future of interactive technology would rest in the hands of the PC or video game companies (I attribute this confusion to excessive exposure to ABBA combined with the well-documented brain-melting effects of Three's Company plots). But most of my early exposure to electronics certainly came from the latter camp. We had the original Pong game and the triangular, holster-housing Telstar Arcade. I stared with mouth agape as my adult cousin received an Atari 2600 for his birthday (no fair!). For my birthday a few years later, my parents got me an Intellivision. The flame wars between Intellivision and Atari were the Mac vs. PC arguments of their day, and George Plimpton was the closest thing the Intellivision fans had to Steve Jobs. I would take pictures of the screen for some Astrosmash contest Mattel Electronics ran as well, to obtain different rainbow-adorned badges from Activision for games like Kaboom!, Freeway! and River Raid! In any case, video game consoles weren't the only extra box that graced our TVs. One day, a beige box showed up with a simple switch that transitioned between the broadcast channels we received and a new service delivered via microwave transmission. It was called Home Box Office.
Growing Up Geek: Paul Miller
Welcome to Growing Up Geek, a new feature where we take a look back at our youth, and tell stories of growing up to be the nerds that we are. This week, we have our very own Senior Associate Editor, Paul Miller. I remember my family's first computer vividly: it was an Apple Macintosh IIci. My dad was at work when we took the delivery, so my brothers and I ripped open the box and set it up the best we could. I'm not sure exactly what we actually did to mess up the machine, but I remember believing at that age that we had "deleted the hard drive," and it took a visit from my dad's IT guy before we were back up and running. The very first thing we did once we had a working machine was plug in the color scanner and suck an image of a bright red magazine Ferrari bit by bit over the SCSI connection. Sure, there's very little "cred" to the experience -- my first computing experience was in full color, with a windowed GUI and the imaging tools of a professional -- but it was also an incredible way to start a digital life in its own right.
Shocker: Geeks more likely to be bullied
Sadly, a review of scientific literature shows things don't quite play out as per the picture above. Analyzing 153 studies, researchers at two universities noted that bullies and their victims actually have a few things in common -- namely, poor social coping skills and negative attitudes -- it was the children with poor academic performance who were more likely to beat up on their nerdy brethren down the road. Still, we suppose it never hurts to double-check your firewall, eh?
The Onion takes on Raiding
The Onion, the well-known and consistently hilarious parody news site, has turned its eyes toward World of Warcraft once again. In the past, they have introduced us to geek love in WoW and the World of World of Warcraft, and this time, they introduce us to the world of Raiding via nerd columnist Larry Groznic, who has previously written on his mastery of Quotes from Monty Python's Holy Grail and the merits of Weird Al Yankovic's Wikipedia entry.Larry's rant to an under performing guild member, while somewhat anachronistic (it focuses on a Zul'Aman raid) manages to poke fun at classic raid leader nerd rage, hilariously nonsensical guild names, perennial altoholics, and quite a few other WoW foibles. It may even hit too close to home for some of the people who might recognize some of themselves or others in Larry or his chosen victim. But hey, if we can't laugh at ourselves, who can we laugh at? The Onion's done it again, and it's worth a read.
Celebrity Nerds: Anne Hathaway's getting a Palm Pre
Celebrity Nerds confirms what you always knew, deep in your heart of hearts: that stars are nerds like us. Send in your own confirmations of this fact right here. We knew there was a good reason for keeping that US Weekly subscription around... besides awesome celebrity news, what do we have here? Hey! That's the Palm Pre being offered up in a swag giveaway for nominees attending IFC's Independent Spirit Awards. The ceremony is being held on February 21st, but, as the ad says, Anne Hathaway's Pre will be available "by July."
Celebrity Nerds: Ashton Kutcher jailbreaks his iPhone, fends off paps
Celebrity Nerds confirms what you always knew, deep in your heart of hearts: that stars are nerds like us. Send in your own confirmations of this fact right here. Ashton's just this guy, you know? He and his salt-of-the-earth wife Demi like to dodge the paparazzi at the airport, and on occasion he'll take that painstakingly jailbroken iPhone 3G of his and turn the tables on their stalkers -- he even upped the video to Qik, just in case you were wondering what other people just like you get up to in their free time. Read - TMZ's flattering coverage of Ashton and fam Read - Ashton's Qik video of the incident
A cautionary tale for D&D geeks
Four hours into a Reno 911 marathon, we stumbled across a short, cautionary tale that highlights the dangers that await those who would dabble in the dark arts of D&D. It's no Dark Dungeons (Gor Bless you, Jack Chick), but we hope this clip proves just as educational. Forward to timestamp 17:41 to jump straight to the relevant moment.
Giant Wii FAQ
We'll be honest...you probably know all the information in this rather gargantuan FAQ from IGN. It was written for an audience that doesn't obsessively check video game news sites every day (nerds!...we love you guys), and as such, it's an extremely comprehensive database on pretty much everything about the Wii, updated with all the new information from the September 14th event. If you need a little refresher course, or just want to link one of your living-under-a-rock friends and do a little grassroots marketing, head on over to IGN (and try not to get buried in advertisements).
Nerds://A Musical Software Satire
The New York Musical Theatre Festival will present 6 performances Nerds://A Musical Software Satire this September at the Beckett Theatre on W. 42nd St. Nerds is a new musical about the computer and software revolution, with Bill Gates and Steve Jobs at center stage.Featuring song titles such as "Stroll Through the PARC," "A Revolution Starts with One," "Let's Merge" and "I've Gotta Lotta Money," Nerds is an outrageous epic take on the parallel stories of computer pioneers Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, two technological geniuses, as they blaze a path from 'garage inventors' to warring titans of the computer revolution!First Pirates of Silicon Valley, now Nerds in New York. This will have to be seen to be believed. Tickets are only $15 and performances run Sept. 20 at 8 PM, Sept. 24 at 8 PM, Sept. 25 at 8 PM, Sept. 28 at 1 PM, Sept. 29 at 4:30 PM and Oct. 1 at 4:30 PM. Additional info available at nerdsthemusical.com. As a former theatre geek and current Apple pundit, I'm dually obligated to be there. Anyone want to join me?
